Counter circulating liquid processing system by repeatedly re-using thermal energy

ABSTRACT

A liquid desalination, distillation, disinfection, purification, or concentration system by repeatedly re-using thermal energy is provided. Thermal heat source can be solar, fossil fuel, or low grade heat discharged from industrial systems. Multiple thermally insulated and isolated stages of vaporization-condensation chambers can be connected to enhance production yield. Vapor is generated by direct heating of liquid and flash evaporation. Vapor generated is condensed in condenser cooled by intake liquid. Counter circulating intake liquid will be heated by released latent heat from vapor. Externally provided thermal energy will accumulate and be re-used in the system. Vaporization and condensation process will be continuously re-cycled to enhance production yield. The system can be configured to support flexible deployment in various configurations and in different locations, including direct floating installation on water surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent applicationSer. No. 62/175,358, filed Jun. 14, 2015 by the present inventor.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND Prior Art

Freshwater shortage worldwide has reached crisis level. There is urgentneed to provide new freshwater supply worldwide, in addition toconservation effort. With increasingly depleted freshwater sources, theonly potentially significant new freshwater source is desalination ofseawater. Currently large scale commercially available desalinationtechnology includes Reverse Osmosis (RO), Multi-Effect Distillation(MED), and Multi-Stage Flash Distillation (MSF). However, thesedesalination methods are expense and consume large amount of fossil fuelas energy source. Only resource-rich or developed nations can affordsuch technologies. With increasing concern of global climate change,technologies consuming large amount of non-renewable energy to generatefreshwater is clearly not an environmentally sustainable long termsolution. In addition, energy use efficiency of existing technologiesconverting saltwater into freshwater is less than ideal. They should andcould be improved. Currently, there is no solution to provide newfreshwater that can meet all of the long term requirements:environmentally sustainability, price competitiveness, large scaledeployment, flexible installation, low cost construction and operation,etc.

Naturally using renewable solar energy to desalinate saltwater is anattractive and environmentally friendly approach. (Other renewableenergy sources have not been proven to be adequate to desalinatesaltwater on large scale.) Many solar desalination techniques capable ofproducing freshwater have been proposed. Of all proposed solardesalination technologies, thermal based desalination technology is themost promising. It is based on simple physical principle of using solarenergy to heat and vaporize saltwater. Condensed water vapor willprovide freshwater. However, solar desalination technology suffers fromvery low production yield, because of inherent low intensity solarenergy. The cost to produce freshwater in turn is very expensive,especially when comparing with current freshwater supplies. Historicallyfreshwater supply is often heavily subsidized by government. Its pricetypically is not reflection of true cost to produce freshwater. Henceany solar desalination techniques have to be price competitive tocurrent freshwater supply, and can scale up to serve large populationfreshwater need, in addition to overcome any technical challenges.

Even with current commercially available MSF or MED based thermaldesalination technologies using conventional fossil fuel or waste heatvapor from industrial plants, it is not using thermal energy to thefullest extent. Thermal energy re-use is quite limited. A substantialportion of thermal energy enters into the system is discarded.Production yield is limited.

Several other industries and applications use similar thermaldistillation techniques and processes as in thermal desalination. Theyrely on the same physical principle. Original mixed liquid is thermallyheated and vaporized. Evaporated vapor is then condensed into separateliquid. If mixed liquid and dissolved content have significant differentboiling temperatures, they can be separated by thisvaporization-condensation process. This is well-known distillationprocess to separate or concentrate liquid. This principle is widely usedin chemical engineering, food processing, petroleum engineering, andpharmaceutical production to distill, disinfect, purify, or concentrateoriginal liquid. Energy source to heat liquid can be fossil fuel, wasteheat, or renewable energy sources like solar energy. Similar to thermaldesalination, energy use efficiencies in these applications can beimproved to increase production yield.

DEFINITION OF TERMINOLOGY

Important terminologies used in this disclosure are defined as in Table1.

TABLE 1 Terminology and definition Terminology Definition Original Watertaken from ambience environment to be processed Water (desalinated,distilled, purified, concentrated, or treated for other purpose). Itcould be seawater, brackish water, agricultural run-off, storm run-off,industrial waste water, or any surface or sub-surface water, etc. to beprocessed. Original Liquid to be processed (distilled, disinfected,purified, or Liquid concentrated, or treated for other purpose). Itcould be liquid chemical compound mixture, petroleum, or any liquidmixture to be treated. Brine Water Water circulating in the system afterbeing heated. It contains original mixture of liquid components atvarious concentration levels. Discharged Brine water discharged from thesystem after being Brine Water processed. It is more concentrated thanbrine water. Freshwater Water condensed from vapor generated through thesystem. Water Vapor Freshwater vapor generated from heating brine water.It is freshwater vapor that contains very low level of salt. Heating atsufficiently high temperature will also eliminate living contaminantsuch as bacteria. Brine Liquid Liquid circulating in the system afterbeing heated. Discharged Brine liquid discharged from the system afterbeing Brine Liquid processed. It is more concentrated than brine liquid.(also known as In liquid concentration applications brine liquid willConcentrated continuously and repeatedly processed till it reachesLiquid) certain concentrate level. It is then extracted from the system.Concentrated See Discharged Brine Liquid Liquid Distilled Liquidcondensed from brine liquid vapor generated Liquid through the system.If boiling temperatures are sufficiently differentiated it can be ofpure form for one type of liquid component in the original liquidmixture. Distilled Steam generated from heating brine liquid. Typically,Vapor it is highly selectively concentrated with liquid that has lowerboiling temperature at the same pressure. Waste Heat By product ofdischarge low grade heat from industrial plants such as power generationplants or chemical processing plants. It is typically carried in theform of water vapor. Alternatively, waste heat can be used to generatewater vapor. Concentrate Panel to concentrate low intensity solarenergy. Solar Panel Its form can be parabolic trough or Fresnel Lenstypes. (CSP) Typically, an evacuated tube is placed near its focal line.Heat transfer medium is circulated through the evacuated tube and heatedto pre-determined temperature. Vapor can also be generated directly inthe evacuated tube if heat transfer medium is the liquid to be processeditself. Concentrated Parabolic or spherical dish to concentrate lowSolar Dish intensity solar energy. Typically, a vacuum evacuated disk isplaced near its focal point. Heat transfer medium is circulated throughthe disk and heated to pre-determined temperature. Vapor can also begenerated directly in the disk if heat transfer medium is the liquid tobe processed itself. Thermal Production of freshwater by heatingsaltwater to Desalination produce freshwater vapor. Vapor is thencondensed into freshwater. Multi-stage In multi-stage configuration eachstage pressure Flash and temperature are maintained at progressivelyDistillation lower level than the previous stage. Liquid (MSF) enteringthis stage will rapidly evaporate (flash evaporation) into vapor inorder to adjust to new thermal equilibrium within the new stage.Multi-effect In multi-stage configuration each stage pressure andDistillation temperature are maintained at progressively lower (MED)level than the previous stage. Distilled vapor and liquid from previousstage is used as heat source to heat and vaporize addition liquid.Reverse High pressure is applied to a membrane that will Osmosis blocktransfer of salt while allowing pass through (RO) of freshwater. LowGrade Also known as Waste Heat or Waste Vapor. In industrial Heat (Alsoapplications such as power generating plants, some known as heat will bereleased into environment. Typically, “Waste Heat”) it is carried awayin vapor form and of low intensity. It still contains suffcienttemperature and thermal energy to power distillation or concentrationprocess.

SUMMARY

The methods and apparatus are based on vaporization of original liquidto produce distilled liquid. If the boiling temperatures of the originalliquid components are sufficiently different, liquid vapor generatedwill be distilled. It is then condensed to produce distilled liquid. Inwater processing applications, such as saltwater desalination, waterboiling temperature is sufficiently high, it can also dis-infect thewater undergoing processing. Alternatively, the original liquid can flowthrough the apparatus repeatedly until pre-determined concentrationlevel is reached. The apparatus, methods, and operation principles aredescribed in the following sections.

1. Physical Principles

Distillation is widely used in many applications and industries. It isbased on a simple fact that for a mixed liquid, if different liquidcomponents have different boiling temperatures, when mixed liquid isheated, the vaporization rates for different components will bedifferent. If temperature is set at appropriate temperature, one liquidcomponent will vaporize more rapidly than other liquid components in theoriginal liquid. Vapor generated can then be separated and condensedinto liquid to almost pure single liquid component.

1.1 Vaporization and Condensation Cycle:

In thermal desalination process, saltwater is heated to generatefreshwater vapor. This is because freshwater and salt have vastlydifferent boiling temperatures. A side benefit is boiling of saltwaterwill kill organic matters and in effect disinfect the water. Freshwaterthat produced through thermal desalination can be directly consumed.Using solar thermal desalination as an example, typically temperaturedifference between saltwater boiling temperature and ambient sea surfaceis greater than 70° C. Water vapor pressure ratio between these twotemperatures can be 25˜40 times. Once generated, water vapor cancondense rapidly when exposed to such pressure and temperaturedifference. However, production yield by relying only on this principletypically is rather low because solar energy intensity at earth surfaceis low (˜1000 W/m²).

Another physical process can be employed to increase production rate isflash evaporation. For a given liquid mixture in a container, it will beat its thermal equilibrium, i.e. its temperature, pressure, and volumewill be at certain level according to thermal dynamic laws. If oneparameter is suddenly changed, the mixture will adjust itself to reachnew thermal equilibrium state by releasing or absorbing thermal energy.When a liquid at higher temperature is introduced to a region atsufficiently lower pressure and temperature, this liquid is“superheated” in that region. It must release excessive thermal energyto reach new thermal equilibrium state in lower temperature region.Excessive heat is released by vaporizing liquid. Latent heat needed tovaporize liquid will carry away the excessive thermal energy and lowerliquid's temperature. This process is called flash evaporation becausethis type of evaporation can happen rapidly. Multiple of vaporizationand condensation stages can be connected together to form a system basedon flash vaporization. It is estimated that as much as 13% of saltwatercan be “flash” vaporized to generate freshwater vapor between boilingand ambient temperatures. This is in addition to direct vaporization ofheating saltwater to boiling temperature.

If only above two physical processes are used to distill or concentrateliquid, production yield typically is still limited. That is whyconventional MSF or MED uses large amount of energy to generatedistilled liquid. In solar desalination, combined with inherent lowintensity of solar energy at earth surface, freshwater production yieldwill be very low and impractical in commercial applications. This is thephysical reason why so many proposed solar desalination techniques havenot been able to generate sufficient large amount of freshwater at lowcost.

Fortunately, a third physical process can be employed to significantlyenhance the distilled liquid production yield. Two counter-flowing heatexchange processes can be designed to further enhance the energy useefficiency and production yield: counter-circulating multi-stagevaporization and multi-stage condensation. Cyclical flash vaporizationand condensation can be repeatedly used to vaporize and condenseoriginal liquid, provided proper thermal loss is reduced to minimal andthermal isolation between stages is well maintained.

In this design, original liquid serves two purposes. On one flow path itis used to vaporize and generate distilled liquid vapor. External heatwill directly vaporize original liquid. Flash vaporization throughdifferent stages will vaporize additional liquid. On counter-flowingopposite direction path, original liquid is also used as coolant tocondense vapor to generate distilled liquid. When distilled vaporcondenses it releases its latent heat to coolant (original liquid). Theoriginal liquid as coolant will absorb latent heat and its temperaturewill gradually rise as it is transported to different stages in theopposite direction. This process can be repeated indefinitely if thereis no thermal loss, perfect thermal isolation between stages, andefficient thermal exchanges. In practical situation there will bethermal loss. But if such loss is well controlled and minimized, suchrepeat vaporization-condensation cycle can be prolonged. As more andmore external thermal energy is added to the apparatus, even for lowintensity solar energy, total thermal energy available tovaporization-condensation can be drastically increased, i.e.“amplified”. Much higher yield of distilled liquid can then be produced.

In addition, speed of vaporization and condensation cycle can besignificantly improved if high efficiency heat exchange devices are usedin the apparatus. The amount of vapor generated or condensed depends onnot only the amount of thermal energy available, but also thermal energytransfer rate. Faster heat exchange process will produce higher volumeof distilled liquid. This will further enhance the production yield ofdistilled liquid.

This disclosure utilizes all of the above physical processes to presenta highly productive apparatus and methods to generate distilled orconcentrated liquid. Below sections describe in more details of theapparatus, methods, and operation. The apparatus has multiple stages.Its first stage is direct vaporization stage by using external heattransfer medium. Intermediate stages are used to flash vaporizeadditional liquid. The last stage is used to pre-heat intake originalliquid. External thermal energy will continuously enter into theapparatus and accumulate. Total available thermal energy to vaporizewill increase until external thermal energy and thermal loss from theapparatus reaches equilibrium.

1.2 Multi-Stage Vaporization:

-   -   1) Solar or fossil thermal energy is used to directly heat and        vaporize original liquid in the first stage. Heating can be        provided by heat transfer medium, or by vapor produced        externally using renewable or conventional heat source.    -   2) At each stage pressure and temperature are maintained at        progressively lower level. Therefore, heated brine liquid from        previous stage will be flash vaporized when it enters the next        lower pressure and temperature stage. Such flash vaporization        will produce additional distilled vapor in addition to direct        vaporization.    -   3) High efficiency vaporization device is employed to speed up        heat exchange process during vaporization.

1.3 Multi-Stage Condensation:

-   -   1) In each stage vapor will condense on the condenser that is        maintained at lower temperature, cooled by intake liquid flowing        through it.    -   2) Liquid condensed is then extracted away to heat brine liquid        in next stage.    -   3) High efficiency condenser and surface treatment is employed        to speed up the heat exchange between vapor and condenser.

1.4 Counter Circulating Heat Exchange:

-   -   1) Original liquid (from condenser) enters the first stage is        heated to boiling temperature to generate vapor. As it enters        next stages it will continuously be flash vaporized. Its        temperature will be gradually lowered. Thermal energy is        transferred to the coolant in condensers.    -   2) Circulating in opposite direction, coolant used in condenser        is the same intake liquid. As it enters a stage, because its        temperature is at lower level, it will act as coolant to        condense higher temperature vapor in that particular stage. As        it moves into next stage, it will absorb thermal energy released        by condensed vapor. And its temperature will gradually increase.

1.5 Accumulation of Thermal Energy:

-   -   1) If thermal loss to the environment is reduced to minimal, and        there is good thermal isolation between stages to maintain        different thermal equilibrium states, heat exchange between        these two processes can continue for prolonged time period. In        an idea situation this vaporization-condensation cycle can        continue indefinitely.    -   2) As more external thermal energy continuously enters into the        system, thermal energy will be accumulated inside the system.        Hence more thermal energy is available to vaporize liquid. For        low intensity thermal energy such as solar energy, this system        in effect “amplifies” available thermal energy to generate more        distilled vapor.    -   3) If properly designed, vaporization and condensation processes        can be highly efficient. Thermal energy exchanges can happen        rapidly. Increase vaporization and condensation velocity can        therefore contribute to increased production yield.

2. System Architecture and Operation

The overall system architecture, apparatus, and operation is describedin the following sections.

2.1 Multi-Stage System:

The system is designed to have multiple stages (FIG. 7 or FIG. 8). Thefirst stage (FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) is direct vaporization stage. Externalthermal energy is used to heat brine liquid and generate vapor directly.External thermal energy can be transferred into this stage eitherindirectly using heating media, or it can be vapor produced externally.In the first stage, lower temperature intake liquid in condenser willcondense the liquid vapor. Once it's heated up to near boilingtemperature, it will be released into this stage. It will then befurther heated by external heat and generate vapor. Remaining heatedbrine liquid, at boiling temperature in this stage, will be transferredto next stage for further flash vaporization.

The last stage of the system is the pre-heating stage (FIG. 5 or FIG.6). Brine liquid (to be discharged) and distilled liquid will flowthrough this stage at two separate heat exchangers. Intake liquid atambient temperature enters this stage in opposite direction. Thermalenergy remaining in brine liquid and distilled liquid will betransferred to the intake liquid flowing in opposite direction. Brineliquid and distilled liquid temperature will be lowered to near ambienttemperature and then released or extracted away for consumption. Intakeliquid will absorb thermal energy from the brine liquid and distilledliquid. Its temperature will gradually increase. In effect thermalenergy is exchanged between brine liquid and distilled liquid to intakeliquid. Minimal thermal energy will be lost. Released liquid (brineliquid and distilled) will be at temperature near ambient temperature.

Between the first and last stages, multiple intermediate stages (FIG. 3and FIG. 4) are implemented. In these stages, intake liquid will act ascoolant in condenser, because its temperature is lower than the stagetemperature as it enters the stage. When it leaves the stage, however,it will absorb thermal energy released by the condensed distilledliquid. Its temperature will rise to near stage temperature. Brineliquid and condensed distilled liquid from previous stage will be athigher temperature when just enter this stage. Brine liquid is“superheated” in this stage and it will “flash” evaporate to generatevapor. Condensed distilled liquid is used to heat brine liquid in thisstage to generate additional vapor. During the process, condenseddistilled liquid will release its excess thermal energy. Its temperaturewill be lowered to the stage temperature.

2.2 Thermally Shielded and Isolated System:

The system must be thermally shielded to reduce heat loss to theenvironment. Low thermal conductivity materials can be used inconstruction of the system. Elements exposed to the environment shouldbe thermally shielded to reduce thermal energy loss. Between stages theyshould also be thermally shielded to provide thermal isolation. Activeheating, by absorbing solar energy or conventional directly controlledheating, can be used to reduce temperature difference between the stageand environment, and therefore reduce thermal loss.

2.3 Dynamically Controlled Operation:

Each stage is dynamically controlled at pre-determined differentpressure and temperature. First stage is at highest pressure andtemperature. In the second and later stages, temperatures and pressuresare progressively lowered to provide pre-determined temperature andpressure differences between stages. At each stage thermal equilibriumtemperature and pressure are determined by thermal dynamics.

2.4 Continuous Filtration:

Each stage contains additional filtration to reduce dissolved mineralcontent. In the last pre-heater stage, original liquid at ambienttemperature is first filtered to remove organic and dissolved mineralcontent. It is then transferred through condenser to provide cooling tocondense vapor. In between each stage, addition filtration is added tofurther remove dissolved mineral content. Original liquid can also bepre-treated chemically and mechanically.

3. Applications

In one embodiment, but not limited to, a solar thermal desalinationsystem can be designed to directly generate freshwater vapor fromsaltwater, and condense the freshwater vapor into freshwater cooled byambient saltwater. This system can also be used for saltwaterdesalination, water purification, and water disinfection near large bodyof surface water, such as ocean, sea, lake, reservoir, river, etc.

In addition, this method can be applied broadly to any kind of liquidthat needs distillation, disinfection, and purification of any watersuch as brackish water, agricultural runoff, storm runoff water,industrial waste water, or municipal waste water. If it is solar based,it can operate off-grid in remote or less developed areas worldwide.With minor re-configuration, it can also be used to distill, disinfect,purify, or concentrate liquid in other industries such as in chemicalengineering, food processing, petroleum engineering, and pharmaceuticalproduction.

3.1 Solar Saltwater Desalination System:

Using solar desalination as an illustrative example, freshwater vaporcan be generated from saltwater with Concentrated Solar Panel (CSP). Itcan include two modes of operation: 1) Direct vapor generation and 2)Indirect vapor generation. In direct vapor generation, saltwater ispumped through thermally evacuated tube directly. Solar energy heat andvaporize saltwater. Pressure and temperature inside evacuated tube iscontrolled by adjusting the pressure and saltwater flow rate through thetube. In indirect vapor generation, heat transfer medium is heated byCSP solar energy. Heat transfer fluid carries solar energy to each stageto heat up and vaporize saltwater. FIG. 9 or FIG. 10 demonstratedifferent embodiments of using CSP to desalinate saltwater.

As brine water moves to the next stage it will be heated up by absorbingreleased latent heat from condensed freshwater vapor. To-be-dischargedbrine saltwater and condensed freshwater will go through heat exchangerscontaining intake liquid. Its temperature will be lowered to nearambient temperature and then released. In such counter-circulating heatexchange process, thermal energy will be re-cycled through the systemcontinuously. Minimal thermal energy will be lost to the environment. Asmore and more thermal energy enters the system, it will be accumulatedand intensified. More thermal energy will be available to vaporize andproduce freshwater. In effect low intensity or low grade thermal energysuch as solar energy or waste energy can be “amplified” to producelarger quantity freshwater.

3.2 Solar Saltwater Desalination Deployment:

Deployment of solar desalination system can be on land near watersource, float directly on water surface, or semi-permanently fixedstructure near coast. Each CSP and vapor generator/condenser assemblycan be connected to form a distributed network. Each unit will operateindependent from each. Such distributed system provides additionalrobustness and reliability. Networked system can be supported on a rigidstructure. For water surface installation, the networked system will befloated by flotation devices around the supporting structure to providebuoyancy. For direct installation on seabed, the system will be securedon supporting structure. At opposite corner, a motor powered propellerare connected to the assemble. It is used to control the orientation ofeach networked assembly to track sun position throughout the day in afloating installation. Angle of CSP is also dynamically adjusted tomaximize incident solar energy.

In order to decrease turbulent effect of surface water waves. At theperimeter of the installation, protective buffers are used to reducewave intensity. As wave pass through such buffers, its energy will beabsorbed and reduced by the buffers.

This system can be cascaded into multiple stage water purificationsystem. Previous stage purified water can be sent into next stage waterintake pump to provide additional distillation and purification.

Because freshwater is condensed boiling water vapor, ifpipelines/condenser/storage tanks are properly sanitized and maintained,purified water can be directly consumed. Portion of the thermal energycan be used to heat freshwater to provide heated freshwater for directconsumption.

Advantages

This disclosure presents a viable solution to generate freshwater athigh volume to meet large scale, low cost desalination need. It can alsobe generalized into broader applications and industries. Thermal energyis used and re-used repeatedly to generate vapor and condense vapor intodistilled (or concentrated) liquid. It can in effect “amplify” lowintensity energy source such as solar energy or waste heat tosignificantly increase production yield. It can also be used in broaderapplications in other industries to improve liquid processing productionyield. Applications can benefit from this technology include liquiddistillation, disinfection, purification, and concentration in chemicalengineering, food processing, petroleum engineering, and pharmaceuticalproduction, etc. Thermal energy source used to generate distilled orconcentrated liquid can be solar, fossil fuel, or waste heat fromindustrial plants. Summaries of some of the key advantages are listed inthe following:

-   -   1) Counter-circulating vapor generation and condensation to        continuously re-use thermal energy to increase production yield.    -   2) Dynamic pressure and temperature controlled vapor generation        and condensation to maximize yield.    -   3) Highly efficient heat exchange devices to further enhance        production yield.    -   4) Thermally shielded and isolated steam generation and        condensation component to reduce heat loss, and to maintain        optimal thermal equilibrium state in each stage.    -   5) Distributed networked system for increased reliability and        robustness.    -   6) Multi-stage high temperature filtration for dissolved        minerals and other organic or particular materials.    -   7) Direct floating installation at water surface.    -   8) Propelled solar tracking for floating installation.    -   9) Perimeter wave reduction devices to reduce water wave        turbulence to the system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the side view of one embodiment for the first stageof the apparatus. Pressure and temperature controls are not shown forclarity purpose.

FIG. 2 illustrates the top view of the same embodiment as in FIG. 1 forthe first stage of the apparatus. For clarity purpose the bottom portionof the stage (heat exchanger to vaporize brine liquid) non-condensablegas and vapor extraction and regulation, and demister are not shown.They can be inferred from side view in FIG. 1. Pressure and temperaturecontrols are not shown.

FIG. 3 illustrates the side view of one embodiment for intermediatestages. Pressure and temperature controls are not shown for claritypurpose.

FIG. 4 illustrates the side view of the same embodiment as in FIG. 3 forthe intermediate stages. For clarity purpose the bottom portion of thestage and demister are not shown. They can be inferred from side view inFIG. 3. Pressure and temperature controls are not shown.

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment for the last stage, pre-heater stage,in a distillation or desalination configuration. Pressure andtemperature controls are not shown for clarity purpose.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment for the last stage, pre-heaterstage, in a concentration configuration. Pressure and temperaturecontrols are not shown for clarity purpose.

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of the apparatus in a horizontallyconnected multi-stage configuration. Pressure and temperature controlsare not shown for clarity purpose.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of the apparatus in a verticallystacked multi-stage configuration. It operates similarly as in FIG. 7horizontally connected configuration. Pressure and temperature controlsare not shown for clarity purpose.

FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment of the apparatus configuration andapplication in floating solar thermal desalination configuration. Anchorof the platform to sea floor is not shown for clarify purpose.

FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment of the apparatus in adistributed, networked configuration for solar thermal desalination.

FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment of the apparatus utilizing wasteheat from power plant or other industrial systems.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the side view of one embodiment of the first stage inthe distillation embodiment. In desalination embodiment intake originalliquid will be saltwater. The heating medium can be heat transfer mediumheated by external heat source, or can be vapor directly.

External thermal energy (from solar or other heat sources) is pumped into heat and vaporize brine liquid. Brine liquid is already near boilingtemperature when it is released from condenser into this stage, becauseit has circulated through condensers in other stages as coolant. Vaporgenerated will condense to form distilled liquid. Distilled liquid andremaining brine liquid will be pumped into next stage to heat andvaporize additional brine liquid. Demister is used to filter brineliquid droplets formed during vaporization.

TABLE 2 Side-view of the first vaporization stage numerals and partsNumeral Description Notes 100 Vaporization chamber 102 Vapor condenser.Condenser is cooled by the intake liquid. Intake liquid has been used ascoolant in condensers and heated by previous stages. At discharge point(116) its temperature will be near boiling temperature. 104 Condensercoolant Pipeline is connected to the output of pump and pipeline.pervious stage's condenser coolant output. 106 Distilled liquid Indesalination embodiment distilled collection pan. liquid will befreshwater. 108 Distilled liquid It is pumped to next stage as heatextraction pipeline source to heat brine liquid (324). and pump. 110Demister. Used to filter liquid droplets that may form when vaporizingoriginal liquid. 112 Pump to distribute Brine liquid is near boilingheated intake temperature at this point. brine liquid from condenseroutput. 114 Pipeline to transport heated intake brine liquid fromcondenser to distribution nozzle. 116 Nozzle to distribute Brine liquidis near its boiling intake brine temperature. It is then further heatedliquid for and vaporized by external heating vaporization. mediumcirculating in vaporization device (122). 118 Boiling brine liquid. Itstemperature is at boiling temperature for this stage equilibrium state.120 Pump and pipeline Medium can be heat transfer medium to supplyexternally or vapor directly. heated heat transfer medium. 122Vaporization device to heat and vaporize brine liquid in first stage.124 Pipeline and pumps Brine liquid temperature is at its to transferbrine thermal equilibrium boiling liquid to the next temperature at thisstage. It will be intermediate stage. “superheated” for the nextintermediate stage since next intermediate stage's thermal equilibriumtemperature will be lower. 126 Stage wall and Insulation can be eitherpassive insulating layer. insulation or active insulation (heated byexternal heat source such as solar energy or conventional heat source.)128 Heat transfer Heat transfer medium will return to medium returnConcentrated Solar Panel to be re- pipeline. heated. 130 Pipeline and Itwill enter next stage to provide regulator to additional heating. Atmeantime vapor extract non- will condense into distilled liquid to becondensable gas extracted. Pressure regulator will and to regulatedynamically adjust the stage's stage pressure. pressure topre-determined level.

FIG. 2 illustrates the top view of one embodiment for the first stage.For clarity purpose, bottom half of the chamber (heat exchanger tovaporize brine liquid, and associated pipelines and pumps) is omitted.They have similar structure as the top half and can be inferred fromside view illustration.

TABLE 3 Top-view of the first vaporization stage numerals and partsNumeral Description Notes 200 Insulated low thermal conductivityInsulation can be either passive chamber for the first stage. insulationor active insulation (Heated by external heat source such as solarenergy or conventional heat source.) 202 Apparatus wall. 204 Condenser.It is cooled by intake brine liquid. 206 Distilled liquid collectionpan. 208 Nozzle and pipeline to distribute Brine liquid is already nearits boiling brine liquid for vaporization. temperature. It is thenfurther heated and vaporized by external heating medium circulating invaporization heat exchanger (122). 210 Apparatus chamber. 212 Condenseroutput. Intake liquid at near boiling temperature is introduced to thefirst stage to be further heated and vaporized. It has been used ascoolant in previous stages' condensers and in the first stage as. Itstemperature has been rising progressively to near boiling temperaturenear the output point of the first stage condenser. 214 Pipeline toextract distilled liquid In desalination embodiment, distilled fromcollection pan. liquid is freshwater. 216 Pump to extract distilledliquid. 218 Pump and pipeline to transport intake Coolant (intakeliquid) is already liquid as coolant for the condenser to heated bycirculating through previous the first stage condenser. stage condensersas coolant.

FIG. 3 illustrates the side view of one embodiment for the intermediatestage in the distillation embodiment. In desalination embodiment intakeoriginal liquid will be saltwater. At each of the intermediate stage,equilibrium temperature and pressure of that stage are set atpre-determined, progressively lower level than the temperature andpressure at previous stage. Brine liquid from previous stage will become“superheated” upon entering this stage. It will immediately flashvaporize into distilled vapor in order to maintain proper thermalequilibrium at this stage.

Distilled liquid collected from previous stage will also enter thisstage and is used as heating medium to heat brine liquid. Distilledliquid temperature will decrease to reach thermal equilibriumtemperature at this stage. In addition, as pipeline containingnon-condensable gas, vapor, and distilled liquid flow throughintermediate and final stage, it will provide additional heating tobrine liquid in each stage.

TABLE 4 Side-view of intermediate stage numerals and parts NumeralDescription Notes 300 Output of condenser coolant (intake Coolanttemperature at this stage is liquid) into next stage condenser. lowerthan the temperature at next stage. Hence it can be served as coolant tocondense liquid vapor. 302 Brine liquid input from previous Input brineliquid is “superheated” stage. It is pumped and distributed whenentering this stage because into this stage (318 & 320). previous stagethermal equilibrium temperature is higher. 304 Intermediate stage wallsand Insulation can be either passive insulating layer. insulation oractive insulation (Heated by external heat source such as solar energyor conventional heat source.) 306 Condenser. It is cooled by intakeliquid. 308 Pipeline and pump to transport intake liquid (coolant)through condenser. 310 Distilled liquid collection pan. 312 Distilledliquid transport pipeline to In desalination embodiment distilled mergeinto main distilled liquid liquid will be freshwater. pipeline. 314Demister to filter out brine droplets may form during vaporization. 316Intermediate stage chamber. 318 Pipeline, pump, and spray nozzle to“Superheated” liquid will quickly distribute brine liquid from previousvaporize (“flash vaporize”) when stage. entering a lower pressure andtemperature region. 320 Spray nozzle to “flash” vaporize part“Superheated” liquid will quickly of brine liquid. vaporize (“flashvaporize”) when entering a lower pressure and temperature region. 322Brine liquid. It is at boiling point for this stage's pressure andtemperature. It is being further heated by the distilled liquidtransported from previous stage. Distilled liquid from previous stage isat higher temperature than brine liquid at this stage. Hence it canfurther vaporize some of the brine liquid in this stage. 324 Mainpipeline and pump to combine Distilled liquid temperature will andtransport collected distilled gradually be lowered as it circulatesliquid. through each intermediate stage to heat brine liquid and releaseits thermal energy to vaporize brine liquid. 326 Combiner to combinedistilled liquid generated in this stage and from previous stage. 328Heat exchanger to heat and vaporize Distilled liquid from previous stageis brine liquid. at higher temperature than the equilibrium temperatureat this stage. Therefore, it can be used to further heat and vaporizebrine liquid. 330 Pipeline and regulator to transport It will enter nextstage to provide non-condensable gas, vapor, and additional heating. Atmeantime vapor distilled liquid to next stage. will condense intodistilled liquid to be extracted. Pressure regulator will dynamicallyadjust the stage's pressure to pre-determined level. 332 Pipeline andpump to transport distilled liquid to next stage. 334 Combiner,pipeline, and stage Intake pipeline takes in current stage gas/vaporintake line. non-condensable gas and vapor. They are combined incombiner with previous stage's non-condensable gas, distilled liquid,and vapor.

FIG. 4 illustrates the top view of one embodiment for the intermediatestage. For clarity purpose, bottom half of the chamber (distilled liquidheat exchanger, demister, pipelines, and pumps) is omitted. They havesimilar structure as the top half and can be inferred from the side viewillustration.

TABLE 5 Top-view of intermediate stage numerals and parts NumeralDescription Notes 400 Apparatus wall 402 Apparatus insulation layer.Insulation can be either passive insulation or active insulation (Heatedby external heat source such as solar energy or conventional heatsource.) 404 Distilled liquid collection pan. 406 Condenser. 408Pipeline and pump to transport and distribute brine liquid from previousstage to this stage. 410 Apparatus chamber. 412 Output of condensercoolant (intake Coolant is the intake liquid from liquid) to next stagecondenser. previous stage condenser. At output its temperature will beat thermal equilibrium boiling temperature for this stage. 414 Maincondenser pipeline and pump When distilled liquid leaving this stage tocollect and transport distilled its temperature will be at equilibriumliquid. temperature of this stage. 416 Pipeline and pump to transportEntering intake liquid will have lower condenser coolant (intakeliquid). temperature than the equilibrium temperature at this stage.

FIG. 5 illustrates the side view of one embodiment for the last stage(pre-heater stage) in distillation embodiment. In desalinationembodiment intake original liquid will be saltwater and distilled liquidwill be freshwater.

Intake original liquid is pumped to this stage from the environment orexternal storage at ambient temperature. Discharged brine liquid anddistilled liquid are pumped through this stage in opposite direction inheat exchangers. Remaining heat from discharged brine liquid andcondensed distilled liquid are transferred to intake original liquid.Discharged liquid and condensed liquid will be pumped away at nearambient temperature. At this stage essentially all remaining thermalenergy above ambient thermal energy level in distilled and dischargedbrine liquid is recovered.

Pipeline and pump transporting non-condensable gas will also flowthrough this stage.

For clarity purpose it is not shown in the drawing. Distilled liquidfrom previous stage extracted through this path is combined with otherdistilled liquid before entering the last pre-heater stage. It is alsonot shown for clarity purpose.

TABLE 6 Side-view of the last stage (pre-heater) numerals and partsdescriptions Numeral Description Notes 500 Pump and pipeline to extractheated Intake liquid has absorbed heat from intake original liquid,distilled and brine liquid. Its temperature has risen from ambienttemperature. 502 Pipeline to transfer distilled liquid In desalinationconfiguration distilled from previous intermediate stage to liquid willbe freshwater and original the last pre-heater stage, liquid will besaltwater. 504 Thermal insulating layer. Insulation can be eitherpassive insulation or active insulation (Heated by external heat sourcesuch as solar energy or conventional heat source.) 506 Pre-heater laststage wall. 508 Heat exchanger containing distilled liquid. 510Pre-heater (last stage) heat Colder intake liquid will be near theexchange chamber holding intake bottom while warmed up intake liquidoriginal liquid, will rise to the top of the chamber. 512 Heat exchangercontaining distilled liquid. 514 Pipeline to introduce intake originalliquid into pre-heater stage. 516 Pump and pipeline to transportdistilled liquid. 518 Pipeline and pump for intake liquid. 520 Pump andpipeline for discharged Discharged brine liquid temperature brineliquid, will be near ambient temperature. 522 Re-mixer to mix brineliquid with At pre-determined level part of the intake liquid. brineliquid can be re-introduced into intake liquid circulation flow. 524Pipeline to transport to be discharged brine liquid from previousintermediate stage.

FIG. 6 illustrates the side-view for the last stage (pre-heater stage)in concentration embodiment.

Intake original liquid is pumped to this stage from the environment orexternal storage at ambient temperature. Distilled liquid is pumpedthrough this stage in opposite direction in heat exchanger. Remainingheat from condensed distilled liquid is transferred to intake originalliquid. Condensed distilled liquid will be pumped away at near ambienttemperature. Brine liquid will be re-circulated back into condenser ascoolant. Brine liquid may also be mixed with intake liquid to beintroduced into condenser as coolant. Once pre-determined concentrationlevel is reached, brine liquid will be pumped away. At this stageessentially all remaining thermal energy above ambient thermal energylevel in distilled is recovered.

Pipeline and pump transporting non-condensable gas will also flowthrough this stage. For clarity purpose it is not shown in the drawing.Distilled liquid from previous stage extracted through this path iscombined with other distilled liquid before entering the last pre-heaterstage. It is also not shown for clarity purpose.

TABLE 7 Side-view of the last (pre-heater) stage numerals and partsdescriptions in liquid concentration embodiment Numeral DescriptionNotes 600 Pump and pipeline to transport Brine liquid and intake liquidmixing heated intake original liquid from ratio can be pre-determined.pre-heater. It can also combine brine liquid with intake liquid back tocondenser (616). 602 Pipeline to transfer distilled liquid from previousintermediate stage to the last, pre-heater stage. 604 Thermal insulatinglayer. Insulation can be either passive insulation or active insulation(Heated by external heat source such as solar energy or conventionalheat source.) 606 Last, pre-heater stage wall. 608 Pre-heater chamberholding intake Colder intake liquid will be near the original liquid,bottom while warmed up intake liquid will rise to the top of thechamber. 610 Heat exchanger. Distilled liquid in the exchanger willtransfer its thermal energy to intake original liquid. Its temperaturewill be lowered to near ambient temperature near exit. 612 Pipeline andpump to transport distilled liquid. 614 Pipeline and pump to transportIntake original liquid is at ambient intake original liquid.temperature. 616 Pipeline to transport brine liquid Brine liquid andintake liquid ratio can from intermediate stage back into vary accordingto pre-determined mixing with intake liquid (600). ratio.

FIG. 7 illustrates multiple stage horizontally connected embodiment.Different stages can be connected physically together or connectedthrough insulated pipelines and pumps. Temperature and pressurecontroller for each stage are not shown for clarity purpose.

Intake liquid will be pumped into the last (pre-heater) stage. It willbe filtered for organic, particular, and dissolved contents through aseries of filtration devices. Intake liquid will enter into condensercirculation as coolant. As it moves through different stages it willabsorb latent heat released by condensing vapor. At the first stagecondenser output, its temperature will be close to boiling temperatureand released into first stage. Once the liquid enters into first stage,it will be heated and vaporized partially by thermal energy provided byexternal sources such as solar, conventional fossil heat, or waste heat.

Distilled liquid will be pumped into next stages as heat source. As itmoves through different stages and release its thermal energy, itstemperature will gradually drop. At the last stage, most remainingthermal energy in distilled liquid will be transferred to intake liquid.Distilled liquid will be pumped away at near ambient temperature.

Brine liquid, as it moves into the next stage, will be partially flashevaporated. Its thermal energy will be gradually transferred to coolantin condenser (i.e. intake liquid). Its temperature will be progressivelylowered. At the last stage, remaining thermal energy above ambientthermal energy level will be mostly transferred to intake liquid. Itwill be released at near ambient temperature.

TABLE 8 Multi-stage connected embodiment numerals and parts descriptionsNumeral Description Notes 700 Distilled liquid collection pan. 702 Stagewalls and thermal insulating Insulation can be either passive layer foreach stage. insulation or active insulation (Heated by external heatsource such as solar energy or conventional heat source.) 704 Stagechamber. Thermal equilibrium temperature and pressure at each stage arecontrolled at pre-determined. progressively lowered levels. Temperatureand pressure controller for each stage are not shown for claritypurpose. 706 Condensers. Condenser coolant (intake liquid) will absorblatent heat released by vapor as it condenses vapor at different stages.Its temperature will progressively rise. 708 Filtration devices. 710Pump and pipeline to extract brine liquid from the last intermediatestage to the last, pre-heater stage. 712 Additional intermediate stagescan be added according to different pre- determined operatingparameters. 714 Pump and pipeline for intake liquid. Intake liquidcirculates through condensers as each stage as coolant to condensedistilled vapor. Between stages it will undergo further filtration(708). 716 Last (pre-heater) stage wall and Insulation can be eitherpassive insulating layer. insulation or active insulation (Heated byexternal heat source such as solar energy or conventional heat source.)718 Heat exchanger containing to-be- discharged brine liquid. 720 Last,pre-heater stage chamber Colder intake liquid will be near the holdingintake liquid. bottom while warmed up intake liquid will rise to the topof the chamber. 722 Pump and pipeline to transport discharged brineliquid. 724 Pump and pipeline for intake original liquid. 726 Pump andpipeline to extract Discharged brine liquid temperature is distilledliquid. near ambient temperature. 728 Heat exchanger containingdistilled liquid. 730 Pump to extract distilled liquid. 732 Combiner tocombine distilled liquid from current stage collection pan and distilledliquid from previous stages. 734 Heat exchanger containing distilledDistilled liquid from previous stage liquid. has higher temperature thancurrent stage's brine liquid temperature. Therefore, it can be used toheat and vaporize additional vapor. 736 Demister to filter brine liquiddroplet. 738 Brine liquid. At each stage its temperature is at stage'sboiling temperature. 740 Pipeline and pump for transferring Pump omittedin drawing to aid of distilled liquid between stages. clarity. 742Pipeline and pump for transferring Pump omitted in drawing to aid ofbrine liquid between stages. clarity. 744 Pipeline and pump for externalHeating medium can be heat transfer heating medium entering heat mediumor vapor. Pump omitted in exchanger. drawing to aid clarity. 746Pipeline and pump for external Heating medium can be heat transferheating medium returning to medium or vapor. Pump omitted in externalheating source. drawing to aid clarity. 748 Pipeline and nozzle todistribute Dispenser omitted in drawing to aid intake liquid fromcondenser. clarity. Intake brine liquid has been heated to near boilingtemperature when entering the first stage.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of the apparatus in verticallystacked multi-stage configuration. Pipelines and pumps can be eitherinternal to the stacks or on the exterior of the chamber walls. Itoperates similarly to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7.

TABLE 9 Multi-stage vertically “stacked” embodiment numerals and partsdescriptions Numeral Description Notes 800 Apparatus exterior walls andInsulation can be passive or actively insulating layers. heatedinsulation by either solar or conventional heating. 802 Condenser.Heated intake brine liquid is distributed to the first stage when it isnear boiling temperature (842). 804 Continuous filtration devices Tocontinuously remove particular materials and dissolved mineral contents.806 Heat transfer medium input into Heat transfer medium can be indirectvaporization device. heating using heat transfer medium or direct vaporheating. 808 Distilled liquid collection pan. In desalination distilledliquid is freshwater. 810 Demister. To filter out brine liquid dropletsformed during vaporization. 812 Brine liquid. Its temperature is atstage's thermal equilibrium temperature. 814 Pipelines and pumps toextract and Distilled liquid is used in each transport distilled liquid.intermediate stage to further heat the brine liquid until itstemperature is near ambient environment temperature near exit outlet.816 Additional filtration devices can be connected to additionalintermediate stages. 818 Additional intermediate stages can be connectedto add more stages at pre-determined operating parameters. 820 Pipelineand pump to transport Intake brine liquid is pre-heated from intakeliquid to next stage ambient temperature by to be condenser. dischargedbrine liquid and distilled liquid. 822 Heat exchanger for brine liquid.824 Last Pre-heater stage walls and insulating layer. 826 Pump totransport brine liquid to Discharged brine liquid temperature discharge.will be near ambient temperature when exiting the last stage. 828Pipeline and pump to transport intake liquid into the last pre-heaterstage. 830 Pipeline and pump to transport distilled liquid pre-heaterstage. 832 Heat exchanger for distilled liquid. Pipeline and pump (830)will transport distilled liquid to the last pre-heater stage. 834Combiner, pipeline, and pump to combine and transport distilled liquid.836 Pipeline, pump, & brine liquid Details of pump and spray nozzle arespray nozzle to distribute brine not shown for clarify. liquid to thenext intermediate stage. 838 Heat transfer medium return (output)pipeline and pump. 840 Vaporization device to generate Vaporizationdevice is heated by distilled liquid vapor. externally heated heattransfer medium. 842 Pipeline, pump, and spray nozzle to Intake brineliquid, after being used as distribute intake brine liquid from coolantat different stages' condensers, condenser in the first stage. itstemperature will be near boiling temperature when exit the condenser.

FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment of using Concentrated Solar Panel(CSP) to heat saltwater to generate distilled freshwater. The unit ismounted on a floating platform that can be deployed directly on watersurface.

Solar energy is concentrated by Concentrating Solar Panel (CSP). Oneembodiment of using parabolic reflective panel is used as example.Heated heat transfer medium is pumped into the apparatus as heat source.It will vaporize saltwater and produce freshwater. Floatation devicescan be attached to the system to provide buoyancy at water surface. Theplatform can also be constructed to provide buoyancy. CSP and theapparatus are secured on rigid structure to the platform. The floatingplatform can also track intraday sun movement through motorizedpropelling devices attached to the platform on opposite sides.

TABLE 10 Concentrated Solar Panel (CSP) desalination embodiment numeralsand parts descriptions Numeral Description Notes 900 Supporting andsolar tracking Solar tracking structure and structure for CSP. mechanismare not shown in the illustration for clarity purpose. 902 ConcentratedSolar Panel (CSP). CSP can be parabolic or flat Fresnel types CSP panel.904 Evacuated solar tube to collect solar Solar heat is concentrated andused to energy. heat transfer medium in the evacuated tube. 906 Pipelineand pump to transfer Pump and pipeline details are not heated heattransfer medium into shown. the apparatus to generate distilled vaporand liquid. 908 Return pipeline and pump to transfer heat transfermedium back to evacuated solar tube. 910 Apparatus to generate distilledvapor and liquid, or concentrated liquid. 912 Multiple CSP can beconnected to form a larger system. 914 Pipeline and pump to transferDistilled liquid is at near ambient distilled liquid. temperature aftertransferring remaining excessive heat above ambient thermal energy levelback to intake liquid. 916 Pipeline and pump to supply intake liquid 918Floatation devices and motorized Discharged brine liquid is at nearpropelling devices attached to the ambient temperature. Motorizedplatform to provide buoyancy. propellers can be added to rotate theplatform in order to track sun trajectory throughout the day. 920Floating platforms can be extended to accommodate multiple units. 922Platform to provide structure Itself can serve as floatation or liquidsupport for all the CSP, apparatus, storage device. pipeline, pumps, andother devices. 924 Storage tanks to hold distilled Storage tank can alsoprovide liquid. additional buoyancy to the platform. 926 Pipeline andpump to discharge Discharged brine liquid is at near brine liquid.ambient temperature. 928 Anchor to hold platform and In floatinginstallation the platform structure in position. can be rotated. 930Supporting structure for CSP.

FIG. 10 illustrates one embodiment of using multiple CSP panels todesalinate saltwater. CSP panels are connected to provide concentratedheat transfer medium to heat and vaporize salt water in an apparatus.The number of CSP panels is flexible. It can be as large as a CSP fieldin centralized desalination plant. Or it can be assembled into sub unitto provide distributed, but networked desalination system.

Multiple CSPs can be combined to form a sub-system. Heated heat transfermedium from each unit is combined and then pumped into the apparatus toproduce freshwater from saltwater. It can also be used for other liquidprocessing using solar energy.

TABLE 11 Distributed solar desalination system numerals and partsdescriptions Numeral Description Notes 1000 Concentrated Solar Panel(CSP). 1002 Evacuated solar tube to heat heat transfer medium. 1004Pipeline and pumps to collect and Details and pumps are not shown fortransport heated heat transfer clarity purpose. medium. 1006 Pipelineand pumps for return and Details and pumps are not shown forre-distribute of heat transfer clarity purpose. medium from theapparatus. 1008 Apparatus to generate distilled liquid or concentratedliquid. 1010 Pipeline and pump to extract In desalination embodimentdistilled distilled liquid. liquid is freshwater. Details and pumps arenot shown for clarity purpose. 1012 Pipeline and pump to supply intakeIn desalination embodiment intake liquid. liquid is saltwater. Detailsand pumps are not shown for clarity purpose. 1014 Pipeline and pump todischarge Discharged brine liquid will be at near brine liquid. ambienttemperature. Details and pumps are not shown for clarity purpose.

FIG. 11 illustrates one embodiment of using waste heat discharged fromindustrial plant to power the apparatus to generate distilled liquid.

Waste heat is used to heat and vaporize brine liquid or saltwater togenerate distilled liquid or freshwater respectively.

TABLE 12 Desalination system using waste vapor numerals and partsdescriptions Numeral Description Notes 1100 Pipeline and pump to extractGenerally, liquid condensed from condensed distilled waste vapor wastevapor from power plant should liquid for further processing. beseparated from the distilled liquid produced by the apparatus. Pump isnot shown for clarity purpose. 1102 Pipeline to supply vapor fromdischarged waste vapor from industrial plant. 1104 Regulator to controlthe pressure and flow rate of waste vapor. 1106 Water supply to steamgenerator (1108). 1108 Steam generator. 1110 High pressure steam todrive generator. 1112 Power generator or other industrial equipment.1114 Waste steam (vapor) pipeline and pump. 1116 Distilled liquid outputpipeline and pump for consumption. 1118 Intake liquid input pipeline andIntake liquid will be at ambient pump. temperature. 1120 Pipeline andpump to transport to- be-discharged brine liquid. 1122 The apparatus togenerate distilled liquid or concentrate liquid.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

As demonstrated in this disclosure, the apparatus and methods can beused broadly in many different types of applications, including solarthermal desalination. It is based on solid physical principles. It cansignificantly increase energy use efficiency and production yield. Withretro-fitting, systems and applications in use today can be upgraded todrastically improve its energy use efficiency and production yield,including many currently deployed thermal desalination plants based onMED and MSF.

In summary, the said apparatus and methods can provide many significantadvantages over current best available technologies to desalinate,distill, disinfect, purify, or concentrate liquid:

-   -   1) It can significantly increase energy use efficiency and        production yield in liquid processing. In current MED or MSF        systems, thermal energy re-use is limited. With continuous        re-use and accumulation of thermal energy, their efficiency can        increase significantly. Production yield using the same amount        of thermal energy will also be significantly increased.    -   2) It can use renewable energy source such as solar energy or        low grade waste heat to power liquid processing.    -   3) When combined with concentrated solar energy, it can provide        virtually unlimited supply of freshwater worldwide at high        production yield. Because of high production yield, and low cost        construction, maintenance, and operation, it can provide        unlimited amount of freshwater at highly competitive price to        current municipal water supply.    -   4) When combined with solar energy, it is very environmentally        friendly and sustainable. It does not release harmful chemicals        to the environment. Disturbance to the environment is minimal.        In solar desalination released brine water is near ambient        temperature. Released brine water is broadly distributed to        large areas. Its intake of saltwater is small “sip”. Its        released brine water just has slightly more salt concentration        than ambient saltwater. Released brine water temperature is near        ambient temperature.    -   5) Its construction and deployment is simple and reliable.    -   6) It offers option to install and deploy in different        locations, even include direct water surface installation. With        water surface installation, it can be deployed in less intrusive        or environmentally impactful locations. Because of its modular,        distributed design, units can be installed at different types of        locations to meet local requirement.    -   7) With solar energy as thermal energy source, it can operate        “off-grid” in remote and un-developed locations. There is        minimal dependency or pre-requirement to infrastructure such as        electrical grid.    -   8) With boiling of water to generate freshwater vapor,        freshwater produced is already sanitized. It can be directly        consumed, if the system and pipelines are properly maintained.    -   9) Because of the simple design and construction, the system is        high reliable and robust. Materials used can be long lasting. In        turn it will significantly reduce long term operation and        maintenance cost.    -   10) Its modular, distributed, networked design can scale to        different requirement. They can be custom tailored to local        needs. As need changes, they can be scaled up or down quickly.        Investment can be re-deployed.

Although the descriptions above contain many specificities, these shouldnot be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments but as merelyproviding illustrations of some of several embodiments. For example, theapparatus could be designed and constructed using differentconfigurations in addition to illustrated horizontally connected orvertically stacked configurations. The apparatus could be designed andconstructed using widely available different materials, shapes,configurations, or techniques, not limited to the above describedmaterials, shapes, configurations or techniques. Heat source could be ofmany different types and generated through different means, in additionto solar energy or waste heat. Liquid to be processed could be of manydifferent types and for different applications, not just limited todesalination, disinfection, purification, or concentration purposes.Thus the scope of the embodiments should be determined by the appendedclaims and their legal equivalents, rather by the examples given.

I claim:
 1. A method to desalinate, distill, disinfect, purify, orconcentrate original liquid by repeatedly re-using thermal energy,comprising
 2. A multi-staged apparatus in claim 1 further includingheating original liquid to generate vapor and condensing vapor intoseparated liquid. It further comprises of plurality of vaporizationdevices, condensers, tanks, and means to control pressure, temperature,vapor and liquid flow rates, etc. at each stage.
 3. A method in claim 1further including re-using thermal energy by means ofcounter-circulating condensed liquid, brine liquid, and vapor inopposite direction of original liquid in plurality of stages.
 4. Amethod in claim 1 further including reducing thermal loss to theenvironment and increasing thermal isolation between stages by means ofmethod or plurality of methods selected from a group of the followingmethods: 1) Using low thermal conductivity materials 2) Thermalshielding 3) Solar energy absorbing coating applied to the apparatus 4)Vacuum shielding 5) Controlled heating of the apparatus.
 5. A method inclaim 1 further including generating vapor by means of externally heatedheat transfer medium circulating through brine liquid in the firststage. A demister is used to separate brine liquid droplets in the stagefrom mixing with distilled vapor.
 6. A method in claim 1 furtherincluding generating additional vapor by means of plurality of vaporgeneration stages. At each stage, pressure and temperature is controlledto provide progressively lower temperature and pressure at each stagefrom the first stage to the last stage. At each stage A demister is usedto separate brine liquid droplets in the stage from mixing withdistilled vapor.
 7. A method in claim 1 further including optimallymaintained pressure and temperature at each stage by means ofdynamically adjusting predetermined pressure and temperature.
 8. Anapparatus in claim 1 further including high heat transfer efficiencyvaporization devices and condensers in plurality of stages, with orwithout device surface treatment.
 9. A method in claim 1 furtherincluding removing non-condensable vapor in each stage by means ofextraction. Condensable distilled vapor extracted together withnon-condensable gas will be condensed into distilled liquid in the nextstages.
 10. A method in claim 1 further including pre-heating intakeoriginal liquid by means of heat extracted from condensed distilledliquid, discharged brine liquid, and vapor.
 11. A method in claim 1further including continuously removing organic, particular, anddissolved mineral content in original liquid at plurality of stages bymeans of filtration.
 12. A method in claim 1 further includingdesalinating or disinfecting original water into consumable freshwater.In one exemplary embodiment intake water can be drawn from ocean, sea,bay, river, lake, waste water, or runoff water that require desalinationor disinfection.
 13. A method in claim 1 further including concentratingoriginal liquid. In one exemplary embodiment, brine liquid is mixed withintake original liquid or continuously re-introduced as intake liquid tocontinue the concentration process till reaching predeterminedconcentration level.
 14. An apparatus in claim 1 further including usingconcentrated solar energy as heat source. In one exemplary embodimentconcentrated solar energy is used to heat transfer medium to be used toheat and vaporize original liquid. In another exemplary embodimentconcentrated solar energy is used to heat original liquid directly togenerate distilled vapor to be used to heat and further vaporizeoriginal liquid.
 15. A method in claim 1 further including using fossilfuel, low grade heat, or released steam from industrial plants toprovide thermal energy to vaporization liquid for desalination,distillation, disinfection, purification, or concentration.
 16. Adistributed and networked system to deploy liquid desalination,disinfection, distillation, purification, or concentration system onland or at water surface, comprising
 17. An apparatus in claim 16further including a networked system with inter-connected module to forma larger network.
 18. A method in claim 16 further including floatingthe system at water surface by means of attaching flotation devices, ordirectly using pipelines and storage devices in the apparatus asflotation devices.
 19. An apparatus in claim 16 further including asolar tracking mechanism for intra-day solar movement. Motorizedpropellers attached to opposite side of the system can rotate the systemfloating at water surface to track intra-day sun movement by means ofpredetermined program and plurality of sensors.
 20. An apparatus inclaim 16 further including water wave reduction by means of a perimeterwave reducing devices around the deployed system at water surface.